7230: Vodou and Scholars (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Lois E Wilcken <makandal-ny@juno.com>

Giving back to the communities on whose backs scholars builds careers
might not be a general practice, but some do practice it.  I'm a member
of COSANBA (not on the Board) and know that several of us do what we
might call applied work.  The names Gerdes Fleurant, Florence
Bellande-Robertson, and Legrace Benson immediately come to mind, and
there are others.  I've worked with a community group in Portail Leogane
to create classes in literacy and traditional arts (Vodou arts), and we
have found much inspiration in the work of Claudine Michel.  You can find
a number of scholars in the Haitian Studies Association who also do
applied work, although some might not be directly involved with Vodou
communities.

I'd like to see more discussion of this here.

Lois Wilcken
La Troupe Makandal - New York City's #1 Haitian Roots Ensemble
621 Rutland Road, Brooklyn NY 11203
718-953-6638 / makandal-ny@juno.com
www.makandal.org